Darkness, The Dark
by WhatATwister
Summary: Instead of rejecting the offer from the Daimyo to join the Twelve Guardian Ninja, he accepted. He left Konoha with Tsunade's acceptance that he was leaving. There were many painful memories there he wanted to forget. SLIGHT AU, LEMON POSSIBLE. ShikaxTema.
1. Its still going on?

Me: :) Hey... You!

Person: ...Yes?

Me: I can't remember your name...*facepalm*

Okay guys... new fic. I've been rather happy in recent days (Because my power is finally back on, sorry to any of you waiting for a new update on the other story... I'm working on it. (slowly.) Anyway... I'm happy, because I can see all your electric faces frowning annoyingly at me...

Just kidding guys. You know I hate you, right? :)

Anyway...(again) This is just a nice little idea I got when I was reading Shikamaru's little profile... thingy on the Naruto Wiki.

Now, to set things straight.

Everything that has happened up to the point of (SPOILER) Sasuke killing Danzo, and the Shinobi Alliances has happened.

But forget Shikamaru. He's not in it at all.

Instead of rejecting the offer from the Daimyo to join the Twelve Guardian Ninja, he accepted.  
He left Konohagakure with Tsunade's acceptance that he was leaving. There were many painful memories there he wanted to forget, but it was still hard to leave his home...

This, by the way, is a Shika-Tema fic. I'm a fan of the couple, and an Ino-Basher. Get over it... please?

* * *

Four Years Ago.

Asuma was dead. Shikamaru was in shambles after he avenged his sensei, but he was still filled with grief. No one saw it except for those who already knew what it looked like. He vaguely remembered the letter that sat on his dresser, in his room back at the Nara family house. He'd gotten it ages ago, but there had been a little note at the bottom that said the offer would always stand. He sighed, and was going to tell Tsunade he would accept the offer. Not many knew, but he had received a formal invitation to join the Twelve Guardian Ninja, the official guards of the Daimyo. Asuma himself was living(formerly) proof that they were very highly skilled. He just needed to escape.

He arrived at the Hokage's building rather ahead of his schedule, but he didn't care. The sooner the better. He walked up the stairs and sighed lightly in front of the Hokage's door. He could hear the rustling of papers inside, a few lines of speech exchanged between Shizune and the scary Godaime.

**"OI, SHIKAMARU? YOU GONNA STAND OUT THERE ALL DAY?"** Her angry voice ran out, causing Shikamaru to jump in surprise, as his hand had been raising to knock. No point now. He scratched the back of his neck and sighed, opening the door and walking in. **"Tsunade-Sama."**He said, giving a little bow. She grunted in acknowledgment, and sighed, knowing what he was going to ask.

"I already know what you're going to ask. The answer is yes."She said simply, not looking up from the bottle of sake she moved in circles in front of her, one eye closed, the other open as she attempted to see if there was any liquid left in the clay bottle. Nope.

Shikamaru tilted his head in surprise, an eyebrow raised. **"That was easy... in fact, I had prepared this long and boring explanation for why I had to go."**

Tsunade (to Shikamaru's scary surprise) grinned. She looked so... non-Tsunade when she wasn't angry or breaking something. "I know exactly why you want to leave, and I understand it perfectly. But if something arises and I ever need you back here, you need to haul ass back here."

Shikamaru smiled uncharacteristically and nodded, giving another deep bow to the Hokage. "I would appreciate it, if you would keep this secret. Do something creative... say I was K.I.A."He said with a shrug, holding his hands in the air. He turned and left, a happy smile on his face.

* * *

Present.

The leaf-nin sighed on the outside balcony of the Daimyo's massive mansion. Shikamaru was sitting on the polished wood floor, leaning against the Chinese-styled railing. He was looking up at the clouds. A breeze flew by and messed up his hair, which he didn't bother to fix. He'd changed much in four years. Taller, more filling into the positive of a man. His body has its fair share of scars, the most obvious of which that weren't covered by cloth as the peak of a pale scar just behind his ear, traveling around to the front of his neck and down, disappearing beneath the fabric that covered his heart.

His hair hung loose and his dark eyes were very deep in though, because as much as he hated to admit it, he was missing home. Missing a certain blonde-haired Kunoichi that was so troublesome. He, he even missed Naruto. He sighed and stood, dusting off his dark pants. He wore only a dark, V-neck, long sleeved shirt and a pair of pants, mesh armor showing from beneath the edges of his pants-legs. And of course, he wore the identifying sash of the Twelve Guardian Ninjas around his waist.

The former leaf shinobi's expression darkened as he saw a runner getting near the Daimyo's front door, and then pounding on it aggressively. The only more annoying thing that a runner for the war, was that the warn was still going on... Four fucking years, and they were still trying to see who had the bigger package.

* * *

The blonde Suna ninja jumped from tree to tree. Temari's legs was killing her, both literally and figuratively. She had been ambushed on her way to a meeting between the leaders, save for the Hokage, who was situated well back in Konoha. She gasped in pain as another kunai sliced along her arm. She hadn't been equipped for a fight, not even wearing a kunai holder on her leg. She had her fan with her, of course, but she hadn't really been using it much. In such close combat they were participating in, it would do more harm to allies than good against enemies.

She couldn't believe she'd gotten herself into this position. She was angered with herself, but she had ensured that the other commanders of the various villages had returned, including Gaara. She bit her bottom lip, browbeating herself in her mind. She was heading to Konoha for two reasons. One, it was closer, and two, if she returned looking like crap, Kankuro would never let her live it down.

The Suna ninja stopped suddenly, and the ninja behind her was so surprised when he found a massive metal fan smash hard into his nose. He yelped in pain, and was out with a stop to his lower stomach. The Suna nin turned and continued to run, blood leaving a trail behind her.

* * *

Temari growled in pain as blood ran down her leg. Tsunade was kneeling near her, focusing her chakra against the would. It healed rather quickly, but her legs were still aching from the incredibly speed she'd ran at. She sighed in relief as Tsunade stood and gave her a reassuring smile. "You'll be fine. The wounds weren't fatal to begin with, but that much blood loss could make you woozy. I'll simply assume you want to return to Gaara as soon as possible?" The sand ninja nodded, biting her bottom lip. Tsunade smiled, sensing hesitation from the young

Tsunade nodded and sat in her chair behind her desk. "Well... you're in luck. We actually sent an ANBU runner to the Daimyo's palace, asking for a few Guardians to help with a high risk mission. Normally I'd have our own ANBU handle it, but it was above S-Rank, and I know someone who's perfectly able to do this. Anyway, you can travel back with them, as they will be stopping through Suna. But I need to tell you something..." Tsunade said with a sigh.

Temari looked up, interested. She'd never worked with the Twelve Guardian Ninjas. The only one she knew that was from them was Shikamaru's former sensei, who was killed quite a while back. She'd only seen Shikamaru once after that, but then reports were spread out that he had been killed.

Of course, Tsunade knew full well he was alive. She'd even gone as far as adding his name to the memorial stone. The Godaime looked at Temari, who was now looking up at her. She lowered her head into her hands, sighing again. "The Twelve Guardian ninjas are very prideful. The only one I know who wouldn't give a damn that you were going with them was their leader, but the others are very territorial. Their Leader, Yami(1,2), is very strong. Don't mess with him.. please?" Tsunade said with a very un-Tsunade like smile.

Temari simply nodded and let out several "Thank-Yous," until Shizune ushered her out of the Godaime's office.

Tsunade, inside, smirked. "This should made Yami's job a little more exciting for the next week or two. I know he hasn't seen any of us for a long time." She said, practically dancing in her seat.

* * *

**1)Yami translates to darkness, the dark.**

**2)Shikamaru's Twelve Guardian Ninja code name is now Yami. :)**

**3)Rate, Review, Rape... what was that last one? **


	2. Time To Go

Welcome to another chapter.  
Yes, i'm still working on the other chapter for my other story... but I kinda feel in the mood for this.

I'll try and get Shikamaru(Yumi) Introduced to Temari, just for formality.

Without further addoo...(doo).

* * *

**Shikamaru/Yumi POV**

Yumi frowned, his dark hair slicked back beneath his mask. The newly instated, standard uniform for the Twelve was rather like the Konoha ANBU uniforms, however they were completely black, and the masks they wore were the reverse, black with white paint. His own mask covered his eyes as he jumped through trees, making no noise. He heard gentle taps from other feet pushing off and landing on trees, the two other Guardians moving behind him were obviously not as experienced as him. His mask was all black, white paint leading up from the eyes rather like antlers on a deer. He had the standard kunai holder on his leg, but there was a long Katana on his back. The Daimyo had them all train to master Kendo(1), Koryū(2), and Iaidō(3).

Training for the Twelve Guardians had been a very straining and arduous task, but it was well worth it. High pay, interesting people, and he got a nice room that had a very large sky-light.

The group of guardians had set out soon after the runner informed the Daimyo of a request for them. They weren't often summoned, but the Daimyo saw fit to repay favor to Tsunade for even giving up the genius Shikamaru.

The genius growled as he and his men neared the gates of Konoha. He was both pleased and angered at Tsunade for inviting him there. He was even more annoyed that the Daimyo had forced him to take some subordinates with him. They were territorial, the lot of them. It annoyed him at how badly they were grumbling about the mission. Every kilometer he would hear one whine about why they were doing this, and he'd simply reply that it was an order. Then they would shut up for a few minutes, then whine some more. But they were strong, the best of his subordinates... but the noisiest.

He frowned as he leapt through the gates. Neither Izumo nor Kotetsu noticed him, but his fellows stopped and informed them that their team had arrived. Yumi skidded to a halt near the Godaime's building. It was so nostalgic, being home. He wondered how everyone was doing. Of course, he got a few letters from Shizune or Tsunade every month or so, but they were never very detailed. So far, as much as he knew, none of the Konoha Eleven had died, but Kakashi was out on the front lines of the war, where their side was slowly folding.

But Shikamaru was no fool. He knew that Kakashi was probably planning something in his mind. He knew that the silver haired Jonin wouldn't allow the side to fall unless he had a rock-solid way to defeat them. He walked quietly up the steps to the Hokage's office, hearing voices from the inside. He sensed some familiar presences. Tsunade and Shizune were there, of course, but there was a very vague presence inside. Not to be a bother, he didn't knock and opened the door quietly. He noticed Tsunade's eyes flicker towards him as he walked in, as did Shizune's, but the other person was facing the two near the desk.

Shikamaru frowned, as he recognized the blonde ninja in front of him. Temari. He hadn't seen her in ages, and his stomach knotted at the sight of her. He'd had a little crush on her in the past, but he was dead now. He couldn't interfere with what was going on. The three of them exchanged some banter for a moment, as Shikamaru stepped sightly behind Temari, the shadows darkening around the room from his mere being there. He could control shadows as easily as he could breath, not even needing to make hand signs for it anymore.

* * *

**Temari POV**

"**Ah, Yumi. You're here."** Temari looked confused at Tsunade after she spoke. She didn't feel anything near her besides the two others in the room.

"**Hai."** Came a muffled voice from behind her. She tensed visibly, having been completely unaware of the shadowy man behind her. She was incredibly surprised, as the only person who could ever surprise her was Shikamaru, his lazy ass always so quiet. She held back tears at his memory. She knew he was dead, and he wouldn't be coming back.

"**You know your mission. Protect and escort Temari to the village of Suna."** She heard a rustle of fabric, and had figure he'd nodded.

"**Temari."**She said, directing her attention to her. She tilted her head, confused. **"They are on a high risk mission for me, but sadly, their mission comes first. You understand, I'm sure. They will be passing through the lower part of the country, delivering messages and scrolls to smaller villages. This mission is Above S-Rank, so I understand if you would rather wait... but you won't have another opportunity to return to Suna so quickly. Don't worry. If you get in a jam, Yumi can save you guys."**She said with a smile. Temari nodded and stood up. The man who had been standing behind her was gone, probably to prepare for the mission.

Temari sighed as she left the building into the rain. During the hour or two she'd been in the Hokage's building, she had been informed of the mission time and what the route they would take would be. Worse than that the weather had turned from bad to awful. She jumped up onto the rooftops to avoid getting muddy, and sighed again. She needed to see an old friend. She turned and jumped as close to the memorial stone as she could get on the rooftops, and landed near it. She could visibly see someone kneeling in front of it, a hand on the smooth granite stone. (A/N: The stone in the anime, not the manga..)

She recognized the man as the one Tsunade had called Yumi, his mask pulled slightly to the left. She couldn't see the name that his hand covered. She jumped down, landing on a wet patch of grass. The figure looked back and she saw a small fraction of his face, but then he stood up straight and adjusted his mask, and turned, standing near the stone, looking down on it. Temari walked closer to it and sat down on the ground, on the edge of one of the slabs in front of the Memorial Stone. She noticed a small scraping of mud on the stone, just near Shikamaru's name. She reached over and wiped it off, feeling hot tears prick at her eyes. She and that stupid lazy ass hadn't been what you'd consider "Close" but for some reason, seeing his name there made her sad.

Yumi the Guardian looked down on her, and she heard his voice over a loud clash of thunder. **"Did you know him?" **

"**Yeah. He died some time back. He was... I don't know. I don't know why I'm crying..."** She said, feeling tears cascade down her cheeks. She stood up and brushed the tears away with her sleeve. She turned towards Yumi and gave him a sad smile, which she didn't know this, but it tore him apart inside. She turned and walked off, jumping up towards a rooftop, leaving Yumi to grieve for his fallen... companion.

* * *

**Shikamaru/Yumi POV**

The Guardian heard Temari before she even saw him, her feet clear over the sound of the rain. He was surprised as she stopped at the stone. He had accidentally brushed some mud onto his own name. He didn't really mind, but evidently she did. He watched her wipe the mud away, and he was shocked as he heard his own voice. She replied quietly, and he was surprised even more as he saw that those were tears falling down her cheeks, not rain. His stomach knotted tightly and he felt an overwhelming urge to tear his mask off and shout "No, I'm Here." But he didn't. Tsunade had made it very clear in a previous letter that he was dead. She'd even placed several ANBU under genjutsu so that it was 'official.'

There had to be a way he could come back. He had to make himself known to her. He felt like such an asshole. He hadn't even taken in how his friends felt, and now she was crying. Because of him. He watched her jump off, and he smiled. **"Your name looks bad on there."**He criticized himself, a small chuckle escaping his lips.

He jumped up and was gone in seconds, using the shadows of the trees and appearing in the Nara forest. He smiled, looking up at the nostalgic house in his view. He walked a bit closer and around the side. His father was sitting in a room, the paper door slid to the side. He glanced over at him, and he saw a flicker of a grin appear on his face. **"Yo, Shikamaru."** His deep voice echoed against a few trees. He walked out of the trees and sat on the wooden ledge, sliding himself out of the rain. **"Anybody beat you in Shogi yet?"**His father questioned, turning his attention from his own game.

Shikamaru grinned. His father and mother, of course, were the only ones who knew that Shikamaru wasn't dead, but it was still hard to act like he was.  
**"Nah. I like to spend most of my time mocking the Daimyo behind his back." **He joked, pulling his mask up. Shikaku smirked lightly at his son, seeing the scar that traveled around to his chest. **"Nice scars. But i'm still willing to bet i've got more."**He said through a grin. Shikamaru leaned back onto the floor, his mask falling off the top of his head and resting face-down on the matted floor.

**"Neh, Shikamaru. Your girlfriend is staying here. In your room, in fact." **Shikaku spoke up, surprising his son.  
**"Isn't that a little troublesome? And she's not my girlfriend."**He replied to his father, his dark eyes closed as his father resumed his game. He enjoyed the sound of the Shogi pieces hitting the board every few minutes.  
**"No. Besides, Your mother forced her to stay here. She found the letter from the Daimyo a while ago. I was surprised that you didn't take it with you. She said she was proud of you."** Shikaku said, glancing at his son from his nearly closed eyes.

Shikamaru himself frowned, sitting up as he heard the front door open and clothes with a loud bang. He didn't reply to his father's statement, and he stood up, taking his mask with him. He placed it on his face and smiled at his father through it. **"Troublesome old man. I'll make a stop here after I get back in a few weeks."**He said with a passive expression, and then, Shikamaru was gone with a flicker of the shadows.

He walked into the hotel room Tsunade had set him up with, and stripped down to just his underclothes, a shirt and some pants. He tossed his Guardian equipment onto a small table near his bed, and threw himself onto it. He rolled onto his back and let out a deep sigh, his eyes closing, glad to be home.

* * *

**Neutral POV**

Sleep never came easy for the dark haired Guardian, especially since he would be escorting a former crush all the way to Suna, not to mention that it would be their last stop on the trip that would take several weeks. He sat up and sighed, closing his eyes and then opening them a few times. He checked his alarm clock and frowned. He woke up early. He disable the alarm function and walked to the bathroom and took a quick shower, just to erase the filth. He always smelled like rain and grass. He pulled on his armor, glancing outside. It was still raining from the previous night, and showed no sign of letting up. The shinobi opened his bag and pulled on a cloak. He wrapped it around his shoulders, and it came just a little lower than his waist. He picked up the ceramic mask and hung it around his neck and raised the hood of his cloak. He picked up his bag and a scarlet scarf, and was gone with a flicker of shadows.

The trio of ninja stood, lingering just inside the gates of Konoha. The two guardians looked at Temari rather annoyingly, and they pestered her with questions, but stopped when they saw their leader just over her shoulder.  
Shikamaru literally emerged from the shadows, his footsteps quiet as he stopped behind the blond ninja with four ponytails. **"Lets go."**He said quietly, the scarf he now wore covering his nose and mouth, showing only his eyes.

Temari sighed in relief when their leader showed up, finally silencing themselves. She turned and looked up at him. He was rather taller than her, and his Guardian mask was low around his neck. A scarf covering most of his face, she noted he was rather handsome. At least, what she could see of him. The scarf was tight around his neck and hung a little, and she caught a glimpse of a scar between a few strands of the fabric.

Shikamaru walked in front of the group, the trio following him. The three behind him exchanged banter every few minutes, mostly the two other guardians complaining about why they were there, helping a Suna ninja. She retaliated with never asking for their help, and it had been suggested by Tsunade.  
Shikamaru eventually intervened, shooting a very annoyed glance at the two guardians. They instantly shut up, and Temari figured he was used to their complaining and talking.

They traveled for a majority of the day, only stopping in a small village to get some food. Temari had wandered off while they all set up camp, and when she returned she found there was a fire going, and three tents had been set up. Obviously one tent was hers, but the other two were occupied, by the two lesser guardians were asleep. The leader, Yumi, sat near the fire, his eyes open. She looked at the fire that was reflected in his eyes, and assumed he was in thought. She sat down across from him, holding her hands near the fire. It flickered shadows, and she noticed that the shadows closest to Yumi were significantly darker than the ones near her.

**"Umm... if you don't mind me asking, where are you going to sleep?"**Temari spoke up. She had pulled her knees to her chest and her head was resting on them, but she looked at him with a curious expression.  
Shikamaru didn't look up from the fire and he shrugged. **"I don't sleep."**He said simply, his eyes flickering up at her for a moment, before returning to the fire. He reached into the fire and poked some of the embers into a larger stick that had yet to catch fire. He heard a little audible gasp escape from her lips in surprise. Obviously she hadn't thought he'd reach into the fire just do adjust it. He pulled his hand out and brushed off a few ashes on his pant leg. She looked at him with a curious expression, her eyes soft.

**"What's that look for?"**He asked, as he adjusted the scarf.  
**"What look?"**  
**"That look!"**  
**"I don't have a look!"**  
**"Yes, yes you do...!"**

They continued to bandy words with each other, before Temari yawned. He noticed this, and gestured towards the only unoccupied tent. She sighed and nodded, and walked to the tent. She slid into the sleeping bag, placing her large fan beside her. **"Goodnight, Yumi."**She said quietly, looking over at him with a soft, tired expression.

He looked down at her a few moments later, to find that she had fallen asleep already.

**"Goodnight, Temari." **


End file.
